Long John Silver

One of our chicks is a silver leghorn cockerel, with a dodgy foot, and we've called him Long John Silver (because he's got a leg problem; and he's a silver leghorn. I had to explain it to Miss Tween).

Of all the boys we have this year, Long John is by far the friendliest.  He loves to do jumpy uppy. He's happy to be held and cuddled.     He's almost as friendly as Penguin was, last year.

I've no chance of rehoming him, because of his deformity.  Today I found myself just looking at coops,   and tryng to work out how I could fit a coop for him and two of the leghorn girls at the allotment.


I briefly wondered about trying to keep him with another cockerel in one big flock,

Or here.  Maybe I could keep him here and he'd keep the old girls in check. He might not be noisy.


It's silly.  I don't want to breed leghorn.   If I'd wanted to keep a lightweight bird, I could have kept Pengy last year. And I didn't.    And he was even friendlier than Long John..

Why has Long John got under my skin?

I put my emotions to one side, and thought about it.   I guess it's partly because he's disabled,  and he therefore reminds me of Lottie, the exchequer leghorn I lost to a fox about 3? years ago.

But its also because, this year,  we will be keeping 2 leghorn girls at the allotment.  We won't be breeding from them (not with a dual purpose cockerel, anyway), so they could be kept separate. If we had space. And a coop. I guess in the back of my mind this made me consider a little trio. Blondie, Sunshine, and Long John.      It as the attraction of  no necessary introductions to the big group.   Keep them separate. Happy.

This wasn't an option last year when we hatched Pengy. We had only dual purpose girls,  so there really wasn't a choice with him.    If I'm honest with myself, there isn't really a choice with Long John,  it's all just (chicken) pie in the sky.

Maybe he'll turn out to be a teenage thug and I'll be glad to be rid of him.

In the meantime, he continues to be first to run up for jumpy uppy, and I keep trying to work out the best ways to keep my options open. 


I won't mention any of this to Miss Tween.

Pilates

Today I went to Pilates for the first time in..... many, many months.    My leg was a bit inflamed, but it wasn't too painful,  and  decided I should make the effort.  The longer I leave it, the harder it will be to re-start

It was...OK.   I had to wear my PJ trousers because I couldn't bear the pressure of leggings on my leg.  I couldn't wear socks either, same reason.  Some of the exercises I just couldn't do. so I did simple movements while those were going on.

I'm pleased I went.

It goes to Show...

After a year of pretty much going nowhere, at all, we've been to  the theatre in London 4 times in the last couple of months.



First (and second) up was Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. This is in two parts, and I was lucky that a theatre group I belong to managed to make a group booking. We saw Part 1 on a Thursday, and Part 2 on the Friday.    

We'd been talking about going for years, but it was expensive, involved 2 trips into town, and we jist couldn't get round to it.     This year, one of my brothers/his wife, and my husband/ I decided we wouldn't swap birthday pressies, and we'd put the money towards tickets.  We be celebrating all 4 birthdays in two days, with two meals out, so it wouldn't seem quite so extravagant.


It was AMAZING.  If you like Harry Potter,  if you've seen the films,  then go and see the stage show.  The story is good,  the acting superb (especially young Scorpius,  son of Draco Malfoy), and the effects were excellent.       I'm so glad we went, it was so worth the money!

We'd been to see Only Fools the Musical with tmy best friend and her husband,  a mega fan,  a couple of months ago.  It was a great show, really well done. 

Following on from that, the four of us had a chance to go to the Only Fools Dining experience.  DH and I had been to a Fawlty Towers one previously (thanks to his daughter and her husband) and thouroughly enjoyed it.  We weren't sure how they'd weave the meal into Only Fools, but they did it really well.    The actors did a great job, and seemed to be having as good a time as the audience.



Next week I'm taking two of DSD's children to see Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat.  I haven't seen that for... longer than I care to remember.    My niece's little girl is coming as well.  I hope they all like it!



 

Confusion

A few days ago I got a shirt out of my wardrobe recently to cover my arms when playing jumpy/uppy with the chicks  They have long nails and they scratch when they scrabble up.  I noticed a top in there, which was unusual (unusual that there was a top in there,  not an unusual top) as most of my tops are me-made, and live in a drawer.

Today I was getting changed and decided to try on that top that I saw.  I did.  It didn't fit and it didn't suit me.  I don't remember buying it, I haven't bought tops for some years (apart for a load of long cotton tee shirts for doing Pilates in).  .  I noticed another one. And another.  At least 3 brand new tops, all with the tags on.    I tried each of them on.  They were all sort of pretty on the hanger,  but none of them fitted, none of them flattered,  and none of them are wearable (not by me anyway).

I am really confused. 

If I'd bought them in the shop, I would have tried them on (either there or as soon as I got home).  If I'd bought them online, I would have tried them on and then returned them.   One of them was in a bag, so it must have been an online purchase.

I checked my M&S account, but the online account order information only goes back a year.  I went through my scanned invoices for online purchases, nothing.  Maybe I didn't scan the invoice, assuming I'd be able to access it through my account?

I guess this is how people with the start of dementia feel.  I'm seriously trying to work out who might have put something in my wardrobe...and part of me is scared that it was me and I don't remember.

Tempus fugit

We've had a busy couple of weeks looking after The Tween.  I'm exhausted!

We started with a trip to Monkey World.  This was meant to have happened at half term, but I was too unwell to travel that far.   It was a fab day, and we were able to see all the monkeys and apes that we wanted to.  We were up to date with Monkey Life - or at least as up to date as the end of the most recently televised series.  The park held a couple of not unpleasant surprises for us, including Bart being in charge of Paddy's group.

A lot of  the time has been spent doing homework related stuff.  Today's topics included hunting down some local Monkey Puzzle trees (we took a pic of her by a small, 8 year old, and another a very old one);    cleaning and disinfecting two coops (the task was actually  'wash a car',  but this was much more useful to us, and more interesting for the Tween.    

Yesterday we went to the cinema to see Toy Story 4 (part of "watch 3 Disney films you haven't seen before").  I don't think she's written that up yet,  we made fresh lemonade, and... I've forgotten the rest.

She has to do at least 10 (and ideally 30)  of the listed activities and write about each of them.  Each one has to have photographic evidence, and has to be signed by a responsible adult to confirm that it was genuinely done.

It's a bit of a nightmare - there's so much of it!

The chicks are now small chickens.  There is a lot of battling for position, and the two leghorns are crowing.     ShyBoy, our most handsome Barnevelder,  has gone to a new home.  I've been looking for homes for the other purebred boys, but no luck so far.  

The 5 Girls have, at last, all got names.  We also know who is likely to go where in the future... and if the boys start crowing any more, the future won't be too far away.   The Tween loves playing with the chicks and she's really good with them.  She knows how to hold them properly,  and she spends ages getting them used to being handled, practising their "jumpy uppy", and other things.   She's really observant as well, so we always listen if she notices anything about them.

A bit of this and that

I've been a complete butterfly over the last couple of weeks.

I was desperate to not have the pressure of a trouser leg against my bad leg.  Things came to a head when had to get them off, and I spent half a day at home, trouserless.  

I made a new skirt (Heartlight from Pattern Emporium). I've made htis before, and it's a lovely pattern, very easy to sew.  Last time I used a heavy scuba,  and it makes the skirt a bit heavy on my hips.      This time I got out two different, lightweight, stretch fabrics from my stash.

And then, once again, I ended up using too-heavy scuba, because I didn't have fabric wide enough to do the fullness without doing a hack.   The fabric is gorgeous, and it's wasted on a skirt.  I should have made leggings, or statement trousers or something.

DH isn't too keen, he thinks maxi skirts look...too long.   Trouble is, the bottom of my leg is a mess and I can't have it on display with a higher hemline. 

I then looked through my patterns to see if I had a template for a narrower skirt.  I found one and started it, and then got distrcted.  Then the sewing table, with partially completed skirt, becane a dumping ground for various other activities,  and I couldn't summon the energy to excavate.  I will try and get this completed though, because it doesn't take too much fabric, it's suitable for wovens as well, and it might be suitable for those times when my leg needs to be free.

Actually, writing that has spurred me on.  I've been working through clearing the table today, and I will try and finish it so I can sew tomorrow.

....

Cheese scones ready for the oven

Lemon Curd

I've made a few things in my yet-to-be-named  CookExpert.  DH steamed some salmon; I made some cheese scones,  and then some lemon curd.  I made aligot mash using the mouli thing for the processor.  We diced some potatoes and made parmentier potatoes.    Nothing earth shattering yet.


 I've also been using the dehydrator.  I started by drying some lovely sage leaves. Then I dried a load of catnip for the cats.    It's currently on  with some water melon in,  something which is marked as "poor" for dehydrating in my instruction book. 

Dried watermelon is bizarre. I tried some when it had been drying for about 18 hours,  and it tasted like water melon flavoured jellied sweets.    It was surprisingly tasty.  I tried a bit more. And a bit more.    The problem with dehydrating things is that its easy to what would be eat a huuuuge anount of *un-dehydrated)  stuff in a very short space of time. I've given myself a sugar headache.

Thermy went to his new home.  I realised a few days later that I could have kept him to make cocktails.   Still,  his new owner is very pleased to have him, and the money I got went towards a walk-in run for the chicks.

DH put the run up, and it's been fantastic.  A leg saver.   I've been able to play and interact with the  chicks in a way which was no longer possible with a ground run.  The chicks benefit because we've been able to put stuff in to make it more fun for them, like some wooden garden chairs.   It's fantastic because we can go out now, shut the chicks away, and not feel guilty that they are closed in.

More  about the chicks another time

Cook Expert

My Magimix CookExper t(CE)  arrived last week!

It's replacing my Thermy and, probably, my much loved but not-so-much used Ankarsrum mixer.  It may well replace a couple of other appliances too, but we'll see.

It is a massive indulgence, but one I've been saving for since I first saw it in 2016.  It was launched  before then in several Euro countries and Australia.  It was going to be launched here, too, but wasn't.     I've been following some Australian Facebook groups and one blogger in particular (The Flo Show) as she charted her journey with the machine, and did an excellent comparison of the then-CE to the then-Thermy. The CE has been updated (free updates) a number of times since the article was written,  and Thermy has released a new model since then.

And now the CE's being released in the UK in August;  some UK people (not me) have been testing it on pre-release for about 6 months,  and some people (including me) were on the 'early release' list.  I 'know' one of the testers, another Thermy owner (he has a TM31 and a TM5), and I was really interested in seeing what he thought.

I love Thermy TM31.  I think I'm going to love the CookExpert even more.

It includes a Magimix 5200XL processor system which, for me,  is a mixed blessing.   All the Magimix accessories which fit the 5200XL work with this system.     It makes the machine even more versatile than it would be without the processor (and without the processor it would still be a phenomenal machine!).  The downside is that I have to find space for the processor top and any accessories (including discs).


I sold my previous processor, a fab Sage one (they know how to do double bowls properly), some time after getting Thermy.  I found I was only using it for slicing stuff, when I had a lot of slicing to do.  And for making Hollandaise.  It wasn't really earning its space on the worktop, but if I put it in a cupboard, it would never see the light of day.   So, I bought a really good quality, safe, mandolin to do the slicing and found a good  home for Sage where he would be appreciated.  I didn't miss him. Mostly.

Back to the CE.  I was very fortunate to be able to pick up a bag of accessories at a bargain price (at such a bargain price I gave the lady more than twice what she was asking).  We've already tried a couple of them and, they're not half bad.   I'm not sure about the hassle of washing the processor parts.  I know they can go in the dishwasher, but I seem to remember that the plastic will cloud after a while if we do that.

I've been too under the weather to experiment as much as I should with the CE  but I've done enough to confirm that Thermy should go to a new home.

Recently a new UK Facebook group for  the CE was set up.  I made my first full meal from a recipe posted there yesterday,  Risotto Bolognese.   It went well.

I'm happy.

And Thermy is going to a new home, where he will be very much loved and appreciated,  this week.

Rain stops play

And on the sixth day, it rained.

We had put thin covers on the walk in run (WIR) last night, to try and keep some of the rain out.
This morning it rained,  and we put additional covers over the run and put the electric hen (EH) in and on , but it wasn't enough.

If the chicks were a week older, it would have been OK.  As it is, they still have some fluff.   The temperature isn't an issue, but the wet is.

We had no choice but to catch them and put them back in the shed.

I had been going to dismantle the stuff in the shed yesterday, bit  I washed my hair in the morning and couldn't face getting all that dust in it.    Lucky really.

On the plus side, being chickless has meant I could rake out the run.  It's not really moveable with the GoUp attached, so it really needs it.

Hope the rain doesn't stay too long.

An easier life

After one particularly painful day,   before we let them stay out overnight,  I decided that I had to so something. We had a day where, apart from putting them out in the morning, I hadn't been able to get down to pick them up at all.

So, I started looking for a walk in run (WIR). I wanted one that could be easily dismantled and stored when the chicks have, well, flown the coop; one that would be easy to put up again next year.   I tried all the usual places. A couple had already sold by the time I saw them,  a couple on Ebay went for significantly more than I wanted to pay (given the travelling distance).   Eventually,  I found one, we collected it the next day and put it up.

I sold the GoUp extensions immediately, to someone who had been advertising for a set.    I sorted out all the other run extensions we had, putting them together in bundles,  trying to find the instructions to make sure that all the bits were there.   I then started advertising to sell them.  .I had a busy few days fielding questions  of all sorts. 3 of the 4 bundles sold and were collected over a few more days. 


The WIR works really, really well.  The GoUp is currently on the outside still, connected.  I can't get to the chicks when they are in that part. There are doors to the run, but it's just too painful. So I lure them in to the WIR section with some food,  shut the connecting doorm and then I can catch them from an upright position.  There's room for me to kneel down and play, if my leg allows,.

We also put an old garden seat in there, which provides them with some additional shade,  plenty of perching opportunity, and something to jump on and off. They use it all the time.  I can sit in that too if necessary.

Later I hung the swing in there.  The 3 Barnevelder girls will sit on the swing and eat from my hand. The Barny biys won't, and the Leghorns won't.  Yet.


I wish we'd bought a WIR weeks ago.  When I checked on ebay, we'd missed several real bargains!

A whole new world...

 After some time of spending their days in the sunshine in the Go run,  it was time to think about letting them sleep outside.

The chicks loved the freedom,. Because the weather was so good, we got them out in the morning, as soon as the grass was dry (they weren't fully feathered so we can't let them get wet),  and they stayed out until about 7pm (unless the weather changed and we had to bring them in earlier).  The Hen was on all the time they were out there, just in case they needed it. (They didn't).

 We added a swing and a dustbath.

 

Every morning we ferried them, two by two, from the shed to the run.  Right from the start we have been carrying them properly, so they get used to being picked up that way.       Every evening we ferried them, two by two, back into the shed.  If we went out during the day,  we repeated the process.

Most of them quickly got used to being carried this  way and were calm. A couple, not so much.   But it was OK.

We spent a lot of time catching them and feeding them while we were holding them  special food,  or stroking them while they were eating the special food.   A lot of time was spent kneeling alongside the run, leaning in to catch/release them.


A week ago, I decided to let the chicks stay out overnight in the coop.  The small electric hen (EH) was already in there (although it hadn't been turned on). 

It had been a hot day, and overnight was forecast to be fairly warm.  12 chicks in the back of a GoUp - I didn't need to turn on the EH.

We had to catch them and put them in the coop.  Before bed I checked on them, and saw that the top of the EH was crammed with chicks, with those that hadn't been able to force themselves on stuck underneath.  I shooshed them off and put the large EH in.

Day 2, all but 2 put themselves to bed.

Day 3, all put themselves to bed.

It was all going well.

Except.   I was struggling to catch them.  I can get down OK and I can get up OK.  What is difficult -  at the moment -  is leaning into the run to catch them.    We have doors everywhere on the run, even inside so we can shut them in the front end to make it easier to catch them, but it was still taking its toll on my poor leg.

Goodbye Camilla

My lovely girl Camilla died today.

She was just 5 years old.  Daughter of Henry and Nora/Batty, and we neve another one hatch with this combination of colouring.

She had a few health issues over the years, but was always a lovely, gentle,  girl.

We moved her to our garden from the allotment a few weeks ago when it beame clear she wasn't right.  She was being picked on by some o fthe youngest girls.   We kept her in a separate coop and run, alongside the others.  She would often try and join them (not our doing), but they are exceptionally vile about newcomers.

She spent her last morning in the sun, eating sweetcorn, grapes, and yoghurt.

Dzhigitovka - Centre for Horseback Combat

The Centre for Horseback Combat had an open eveing, so we took the pony-mad Tween.

It was a great evening.  Weather was kind.  The food was great (wood fired pizza).  The show wa really interesting.  There was a demo of Pat Parellu's Natural HorseManShip, which I remember from the very beginning but which was new to the Tween;  there was a spanish dressage exhibition (not the Spanish Riding School style),  explaining how dressage was originally about battle craft;  and then there was the Dhigitovka.

It was a great evening, and I'd recommend it to anyone.

And Sew...

I managed to get a photo of Tween wearing a tank/vest top I made.  It's wearable.

I am under the weather at the mo, and I have to keep my leg elevated.   We brought our Lafuma chair in and I've been using that to sit in: it's comfortable, and I can elevate my leg really well. 

I looked online at covers for it. They are easily available, because Lafuma is the most popular reclining chair used by mobile reflexologists for their clients to sit in.     The price and quality of the covers varied considerably,  and in the end I decided to makie my own.  I bought a throw from Costco to provide the fabric,  and I'm really happy with it.  I bought some matching lacing to tie it to the chair,  and I used my Kam press and grommits to create holes for the ties.  The fabric was a nightmare, I knoew it would be,  so I had to quicjkly overlock every edge as soon as I made a cut.   I also used my Accufeed foot, than goodness for it,  as I was machining several layers a lot of the time.

I'm really pleased with how it turned out.

Another chicky milestone

The chicks have been out every day for the past week or so.   They love it!

They are still in the brooder in the shed at night. If the weather cools or, like today, it rains, then they are straight back inside.

They are 3 and a half weeks old now, and really well feathered.  They still have down on their tummies,  so we have to wait until the grass is dry before we put them out.

Currently thinking we have 2 boy Barnevelders, 2 Barnevelders, and 1 undecided.  For the Lehorns, O'm thinking it's 1 boy yellow partridge  1 boy silver duckwing,  and the others are girls.  Bertie's baby, who we're also referring to as Bertie,  is very slow to feathr so we're assuming boy.

We've been picking them up properly, finger between the legs,  right from the start.  They don't like being caught, but they are mostly calm and fairly relaxed once we have them.     We've been arrying them out two by two,  and carrying them in (unless it's raining) two by two as well.

The Tween has been to visit a couple of times, and has been great at spending lots of time picking them up, stroking them, and helping getting them used to being handled.

Chicks 2 weeks

2 weeks old already, and the weather is too rubbish for us to have them go outside at all.

We've made the round brooder bigger,   and we're going to remove the round walling today or tomorrow so they have more space - enough to fit in a seed-tray sized dust bath. 

I've been under the weather for a couple of weeks,  but I've ensured that they each get picked up at least twice a day.     Normally I pick up 6 at a time and put them in a trug with some food,  then pick up and stroke each one.  Then I get the other six out.

Here are the 6 Leghorn. One of themhas a broken toe, so I need to see if its possible to splint it (although I think its too late)

Still no idea on sex.  We have 3 yellow partridge, and 3 silver duckwing.  Number 8, the chick I htought wasn't going to make it,  is one of the yellow partridge ones.

All 12 chicks are coping with being picked up and stroked, but it wouldn't be correct to say they are happy with it.    They are happy to eat the delicious Garvo Alfastart while they are stroked, so that's all good progress.

The leghorns are more tolerant than the Barnevelders.  They are also the ones who watch us when we walk in,  their little owl-like faces look up and watch carefully.

One of them is particularly cheeky, and s/he's the reason we're removing the circle and putting up the taller barriers.

This picture was after the leghorns had been put back in the run, and I was collecting the barnevelders and putting them in the tub. The leghorn wanted back  to the tub that had the special treats in.

Can you see the two leghorns in the background?   That's what I mean abou their owl-like faces watching us.

Chicks

This year's chicks started hatching on 1st June, and continued throughout Saturday and Sunday.   

Only 1 of Bertie's eggs was fertilised, and s/he was the first to hatch.  We guessed, correctly, that Pimg and Pong's eggs would be clear,   we had hopes for Barbara and Annie's eggs,  and Phyllis was a last minute addition.      The black chick that hatched suggests it was from either Annie or Phyllis, and we'll be able to tell more when we see the shape of the comb.

6 out of the 8 Leghorn eggs were fertilised and hatched (3 Yellow Partridge and 3 Silver Duckwing),  and 5 out of the 8 silver laced Barnevelders hatched.

We had one traumatic hatch, and the little chick has survived so far. They are, of course, the cutest little chicks.

We've been trying to handle them several times a day, with mixed success.  It's helpful that we have two different breeds so we can divide them to make sure we handle each one),.  

We'll miss having Miss Tween around,  as she's great with the chicks.  She's old enough and responsible/sensible  enough for us to let her go and see them and handle them unsupervised,  which is a great help. 

Celebrations

It was my parents Significant Wedding Anniversary recently, and we had a party in the garden for all the family.

We were really lucky that the weather stayed (mainly) dry. Everyone seemed to have a good time.

We completely failed to have family photos taken, and many of the youngers had left by the time we thought about it.  We did manage to get (what is left of) the oldest generation together for a snap or two.

Those that stayed overnight nearby met for breakfast at a local pub the next day, and that was a really good way to finish it all up.

Little Shop of Horrors

We often use the AudreyII voice singing "Feed Me!!  Feed Me Now!!" when imitating the cats demanding food.

Some time ago I explained to Miss Tween that it was from Little Shop of Horrors and I 'sang' snippets like "Feed me Seymour" for her.  It turned out that her Drama club had  the title song one term.

She wanted to see the film.

Last time she stayed I bought a used DVD, which turned out to be a much older version.  I bought the correct version, and it has been sitting by the TV for ages waiting for an opportunity to be played.  DH didn't want to watch it again (we've seen it before, AND we've seen the stage show).

We watched it yesterday.

I hadn't realised that there were so many things that I was going to have to explain.

Whenever Miss Tween asks me anything potentially embarrassing,  I make sure that I reply factually and in the same way I would as if she asked me, for example, "what's 2 plus 2?".    It's important that I don't appear embarrassed, as I want her to feel comfortable asking about anything.

First thing.  Steve Martin appears as the sadistic dentist . Audrey gets on his bike, and he asks if she has the handcuffs.  "Why does he want her to have handcuffs"  "Because some people like to be tied up when they have sex" "That's weird!" 

Second thing: The Dentist is singing away, causing pain to all his patients. "Why does he do that?" - "Because he's a sadist" "What's a sadist?" "Someone who likes to cause pain to people"

Third thing: Bill Murray is waiting to be seen by the Dentist. When his turn comes, he's enjoying the pain "Why is he enjoying it?" - "Because he's a masochist" - "What's a masochist?"  "Someone who likes pain".  "That's just weird!"

So far, so good.  (Although I'm sure her parents are going to wonder what I've been letting her watch if she starts coming out with this sort of stuff).

Fourth thing: AudreyII is singing, and in the song describes himself as a "Mean Mother*". What does that mean?

I failed. I strayed from my strategy.

I should, of course, have just answered her question with "It's short for Motherf****r and it's a really unpleasant swear word. Your Nan hated it more that any other word".

But I didn't.

Instead I said "It's short for a really horrible swear word".
"What word?"  "I'm not going to tell you,  it's really unpleasant".
 Later: "What word?"  "I'm not going to tell you.  Your Nan absolutely hated this word, and she'd be mortified if I told you".
This morning: "What word?"  "It's just an abbreviation for a really unpleasant swear word.  You'll know it when you hear it.  I swear a lot and I don't use it".

I can't give in and tell her now because she'll think that nagging will wear me down.

But I won't make the mistake again. My usual approach is definitely the right one!

Old Bag

Miss Tween had a school trip to France, lasting several days.

We had to get her to school by 04.15 (yes, 04.15, a.m.) and had to provide a packed breakfast and a packed lunch for consumption on the ferry.    Discussions with Miss Tween started some weeks ago about what she would like in her breakfast pack (I had already decided on her lunch),  and so I was well prepared.

I was going to buy her two pretty lunch bags, one for each meal.  I'd seen some when I'd walked though TK Maxx the other week.    But then I realised I should just make a bag. 

I worked out what to do to make a lined bag, and I decided to box the bottom so that the takeaway containers (which I was reusing so they wouldn't be single use plastic) would fit it neatly.  I didn't want the lining to have seams.

It went well. Until I decided to overlock around the whole thing, which of course created the most ugly seam you can imagine.  It also ended up much smaller, due to me neatening the edges before sewing, trimming, and vrious other things.

I rethought it (whilst waiting for MIss T to finish playing horses) and did it again. I started with much bigger pieces of fabric.  It took me almost up to bedtime to finish,  and it was...enormous.  I also seemed to have a lot of bagginess in the lining, but I didn't have time to fix it.  I later realised that I should have boxed the lining too, but it was too late.

Miss Tween was very kind.  She loved the fabrics,  and she really liked that I had made it for her.   It was just a bit...big.  She decided to use it anyway, even though it took up all the space in her compulsory rucksack.  I showed her that it would roll up small (ish) when she was on her way home.

I'm really pleased with the meals, and she was very happy too.  We talked through whether the bagels should be toasted (yes) and why we had to let them go cold before wrapping them up.   She suggested tht she took the Philadelphia in a separate tub, rather than pre spread,  which was great as that was what I had planned.  She had a tub of salad and tomatoes,  some finger sized cucumbers,  a pot with some salami and sliced würst in, an apple, and a Gu pudding.  I put in some Nutella b-ready sticks as well.   

Breakfast was a simpler affair. Untoasted scotch pancakes,  a shop bought waffle, some chocolate spread in a tub,  and a banana.   I gave her one of those fab little squeezy things of Robinsons squash to take.

The cutlery was wrapped in hen-related napkins,  and I popped in one of those origami things we ised to make as kids.  The things where you put it on your hands, pick a number and open it that many times, then pick ooe of the flaps, and then read a message written underneath.   I'm not sure she's ever seen one before so she probably won't know what to do with it.   Even if she does, I'd written everything in French (I picked simple phrases for her).  What are those things called?

The pupils haven't been allowed to take their phones so we've no idea how she's getting on.   They were allowed to take disposable cameras,  but of course she has no understanding of what a film camera is or how it works.   I suspect the pics will not turn out well.  

 

Continuing on, Cooking

Creme Caramel in the Instant Pot.   Oh my goodness, it's a revelation!  It's like the time I tried pressure cooking a cheesecake!   Who would have though that it could be possible to make fabulous  Creme Caramel in a  pressure cooker!   I've had the recipe for over a year, why did I wait?!?!

I also bought a Philips Airfryer.  We've used a Tefal Actifry for cooking oven chips for years,  but I was tempted by the Airfruer because it looked more versatile.  I kept putting off buying one because it seemed a bit of an extravagance.    Costco were offering one at a reasonable price,  so I bought it. 

We tried it.  It worked really well.     It's too tall to fit in the cupboard  space occupied by the Actifry and, on the basis that we can try and use it instead of the oven (the saving is in the lack of preheatng required),  I had to find it a home on the worktop.    Easier said than done.

I spend over a day rearranging the kitchen.   I appreciate that sounds ridiculous, but it's true. It was like a 3D version of one of those sliding puzzles!

As an example,  I moved one item into the cupboard wher the Actifry used to live.  The space it created wasn't suitable for the airfryer,  as that needs to be near the extractor fan.  So i moved the vacuum sealer over instead.  But that meant that the drawer full of vac sealer bags and bits needed to move too.   And it wasn't as easy as just swapping over two drawers.  Or just two items.

And of course, I had to clean thoroughly as I moved stuff.  And I went through the drawers I was moving to see if I could get rid of anything.  I was brutal. 

Anyway,  it's done.  For the first time in months my worktops look tidy and aren't cluttered up .  Well, no more cluttered than they need to be.  The accumulation of piles of 'stuff' have been dealt with (apart from a relatively small pile of  "I don't know what to do with these"  things on a tray on the breakfast bar).

I also put one of the long-redundant kitchen appliances (previously relegated to the utility room while it waited for me to see if I missed it)  up for sale.  And I think I'll be finding a new home for the Actifry.  

I'm hoping I can keep it tidy for a few more weeks. We'll see.